The first game up in the Pioneers' four-week road trip was the Blue Devils from Lebanon High School. The Blue Devils are in a very similar situation as the Pioneers. They rely heavily on a younger roster and Lebanon just wore the Pioneers down.
Lebanon had a bye week its first week and used it to prepare for the Pioneers. It worked out for the Blue Devils and they got their first win in over a season and defeated the Pioneers 28-13.
WCHS head coach Tom Moore said, “We couldn’t make tackles and Lebanon just outplayed us.”
Lebanon quarterback Jarren Stewart was injured mid-season last year but has returned for his senior year with a vengeance. Stewart did not rely on passing, although he managed 5 completions for 68 yards. Stewart did most of his damage on the ground and his ability to tuck the ball and run wreaked havoc on the Pioneer defense. Stewart accumulated 196 yards on the ground on 20 carries.
The Blue Devils, as a whole, collected a total of 335 yards on the ground on 37 carries, compared to the Pioneers with 226 yards on 32 carries.
Pioneer quarterback Isaiah Grayson compiled 102 yards. He rushed eight times for 42 yards and passed 7 times for 60 yards.
Pioneer Raleigh Woods led the charge on the ground versus the Blue Devils. Woods’ legs churned as he picked up huge chunks of yardage. He had seven carries for 63 yards.
Lorenzo Wilson outshined all receivers as he caught five passes for 49 yards. Wilson also banged out 34 yards on the ground.
In the opening drive, the game started almost identical as it did last week. The Pioneer offense moved the ball down the field with little resistance on the opening drive. With a third-and-2 situation, Pioneer RB Rickie King exploded through the line and bounced off tacklers for a 36-yard gain and put the Pioneers first-and-goal from the 5.
Two plays later, the six-play drive was capped when Isaiah Grayson punched it in for a Pioneer touchdown. Jakob Morin added the extra-point for a 7-0 lead with 9:20 to play in the first quarter.
The score remained 7-0 until midway through the second quarter when Stewart settled in and started a drive on his own 10-yard line. The drive started with Stewart on the quarterback keeper. He picked up 16 yards on the first snap. After a couple of penalties near midfield, Stewart dropped back and delivered a pass right on target to Truck Weir for a 41-yard gain. The drive was capped with an 11-yard touchdown run by Stewart and tied the game at 7-7 after the extra point.
It only took Warren County a little over six minutes to respond. The Pioneers went 77 yards on 14 plays to break the tie. Woods took the Pioneers on his back and he picked up 45 of the 77 yards. The offensive line blocked the Blue Devils and opened up running lanes for Woods. Grayson kept it and his line pushed their way in for his second touchdown. The extra point was off target and the Pioneers led 13-7.
It was the final time for Warren County to find its way into the endzone.
Stewart and the Blue Devil offense exploded and took over the offensive game in the second half and the defense took away the run up the middle.
Blue Devil D’Anthony Harris lit the fuse on the Lebanon crowd when he turned the corner and blew past the defense for a 53-yard footrace down the Warren County sideline to extend the Lebanon lead to 21-13. The crowd went into a frenzy and started to feel like a win was within reach.
Stewart led Lebanon on its final scoring drive. He ran the ball five of the seven times and capped the drive with a 4-yard run. The Blue Devils led 28-13 with six minutes left.
Warren County looked good on its final drive and started on its own 15. Grayson completed a 40-yard pass to Wilson that was tipped and Wilson watched the ball all the way in for a big gain.
Jordan Bonner followed with a 10-yard scamper to land the Pioneers on the Blue Devil 18-yard line. The Pioneer offense turned the ball over on downs and the game ended with Lebanon over Warren County by a final score of 28-13.
Head Coach Sam Harp, “Warren County controlled the line early and we settled our guys down and closed off the middle in the second half.”
Up next for Warren County is the second of four road games, the Cookeville Cavaliers on Sept. 4 with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.